Abstract
PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the health sector reform toward 2040 of Japan as a super-aged society.Design/methodology/approachThis paper discusses the current healthcare policies adopted in Japan and projects the challenges in future as a super-aged society.FindingsThrough Japanese experiences, it is considered that Community-based Integrated Care System is useful, which takes into account the perspective of health care users. Being a super-aged society, it is essential for Japan to have more consensus by further removing obstacles, and paying attention to the change of paradigm and the purpose of care.Originality/valueBased on the case of Japan, this paper serves as a reference for other East Asian countries, which would sooner or later encounter the similar situation of becoming super-aged societies in the 21st century.
Highlights
Japan has implemented health sector reform to enable the maintenance of a healthcare supply system in times of low economic growth and rapid aging, which the world has never experienced before
It consists of medical direct costs (MDC; annual medical expense), morbidity costs (MbC; loss of labor value caused by treatment of a disease), mortality costs (MtC; loss of human capital value), long-term care (LTC) direct costs (LTC costs covered by public LTC insurance), and informal care costs
The Japanese experience has shown that a kind of Community-based Integrated Care System is essential, to be considered from the perspective of health care users
Summary
Japan has implemented health sector reform to enable the maintenance of a healthcare supply system in times of low economic growth and rapid aging, which the world has never experienced before. A new medical and long-term care (LTC) framework for a super-aged society has been created; there are still many problems to be solved before 2040, when the absolute number of the elderly population is expected to peak. The medical plan is created by each prefecture independently and does not provide medical services at a uniform level nationwide (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, 2012). In the future, the market for medical services, which has expanded far, will be shrinking In light of these future changes in the demographic structure, the Regional Medical Vision was created in 2015 (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, 2015).
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